WICHITA, Kan. – Kristopher Prather may have given up his lead for a moment at the 2018 U.S. Open, but the 26-year-old right-hander finished strong in match play to return to the top of the standings.

Prather posted a 6-1-1 record during his eight matches at Northrock Lanes on Monday, averaging more than 221 to finish with a 9,125 total, including bonus pins.

Jakob Butturff of Chandler, Arizona, briefly took the overall lead after a 5-0 start in match play but settled into second after dropping his last three games to finish with 9,062. The 24-year-old left-hander was runner-up at the 2017 U.S. Open in Liverpool, New York, falling to Rhino Page of Orlando, Florida, in the title match, 256-222.

Both Prather and Butturff have built a sizeable lead over the field heading into Tuesday’s final rounds of match play and lead England’s Dom Barrett (8,715) by nearly 350 pins. Jason Sterner of Covington, Georgia (8,675), and 2015 U.S. Open champion Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, New York (8,672), round out the top five.

Page is in 15th place with 8,476.

After struggling during Sunday’s third round of qualifying, Prather walked into Northrock Lanes with a new mindset and was ready to attack the 43-foot oil pattern being used for the remainder of the tournament.

The 2018 U.S. Open has featured four different lane conditions. Three oil patterns were used during the first three rounds of qualifying, and the final condition was introduced during the cashers’ round.

“I was much more confident this morning,” Prather said. “This pattern definitely suits my game better, and I had a pretty simple game plan – control the pocket and make it into match play with as many pins as I could.”

Prather wasn’t surprised by Butturff’s run toward the top of the standings, but he credits his performance in match play in putting him in a favorable spot heading into the final two rounds.

“I knew Jakob was going to catch up to me,” Prather said. “He was striking so much, and I thought he was going to start to run away with it. Being able to keep up with him when he starts striking like that gives me even more confidence heading into tomorrow.

“Winning six matches and tying another was a huge bonus, since I normally don’t have match-play rounds like that. For tomorrow, I’m going to just keep doing the same thing and try to get as many pins as I can and do whatever I can to stay at the top to guarantee myself a shot at the title.”

The 144-player field was cut to the top 36 players after Sunday’s third round of qualifying, and all advancers returned to the lanes Monday morning for a cashers’ round, which included an additional eight games to determine the 24 players for round-robin match play.

Prather led the field heading into match play, finishing with a 32-game total of 7,160. Dallas Leong of Las Vegas earned the final spot with a 6,601 score, a 206.28 average.

Match play will resume Tuesday at 11 a.m. Eastern with the final two blocks, including a position round. The five finalists will be determined by total pinfall, including bonus pins, for 56 games.

The stepladder finals will take place Wednesday and air live on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. Eastern, awarding the champion the $30,000 top prize and coveted green jacket.

The U.S. Open is the fourth and final major championship on the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule and is conducted jointly by the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America.

Each round of the 2018 U.S. Open leading up to the stepladder finals will be broadcast live on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame on FloBowling.

U.S. OPEN RESULTS AFTER FIRST MATCH PLAY ROUND

(Includes match play record and total pinfall including bonus pins after 40 games)

WICHITA, Kan. - Kristopher Prather may have slowed down Sunday at the U.S. Open, but he still finds himself in the driver's seat after finishing as the top qualifier at the 2018 edition at Northrock Lanes.

The 26-year-old right-hander led the overall standings for the third consecutive round, finishing Sunday's eight-game block with 1,576 to bring his overall total for 24 games to 5,355, a 223.13 average. Wichita's AJ Chapman is second with 5,254, and 2006 U.S. Open champion Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, South Carolina, is third with 5,210.

The 144-player field now has been cut to the top 36 players. All advancers will return to the lanes Monday at 11 a.m. Eastern for a cashers' round, which will include an additional eight games to determine the 24 players for round-robin match play.

Anthony Pepe of Elmhurst, New York, earned the final spot in the cashers' round, rolling 255 in his final game to get to 4,939, a 205.79 average. Defending champion Rhino Page of Orlando, Florida, also advanced, finishing qualifying in seventh place with 5,167.

Qualifying at the 2018 U.S. Open consisted of three eight-game blocks over three days.

Prather struggled to get comfortable on the 47-foot oil pattern being used during Sunday's third round.

The 2018 event featured a different lane condition for each of the three qualifying rounds.

"I'm annoyed with myself because I couldn't figure it out," Prather said. "I didn't throw it very well, either. I struggled getting my ball to go through the pins the right way, and I never really felt comfortable. It was just a bad day. But, I'm very fortunate that I bowled so well the first two days."

Monday's cashers' round will feature a fourth oil pattern, which will be used for the remainder of the tournament.

Prather gets an opportunity for a fresh start Monday on the 43-foot lane condition, and he's going to do his best to reset and move forward.

"The first thing I need to do is completely forget about today," Prather said. "I don't have to think about that pattern anytime soon, so I'm happy about that. I'm going to drill a couple of new bowling balls and try to get in the right mentality. Hopefully, I can figure out the right way to attack this looking ahead."

Match play will begin Monday at 6 p.m. Eastern with the first of three eight-game rounds. Match play resumes Tuesday at 11 a.m. Eastern with the final two blocks, including a position round. The five finalists will be determined by total pinfall, including bonus pins, for 56 games.

The stepladder finals will take place Wednesday and air live on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. Eastern, awarding the champion the $30,000 top prize and coveted green jacket.

The U.S. Open is the fourth and final major championship on the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule and is conducted jointly by the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors' Association of America.

Each round of the 2018 U.S. Open leading up to the stepladder finals is broadcast live on PBA's online bowling channel Xtra Frame on FloBowling.

Kristopher Prather of Plainfield, Illinois, separated himself from the rest of the field Saturday at the 2018 U.S. Open after averaging more than 244 in the second round of qualifying.

The 26-year-old right-hander shrugged off a slow start at Northrock Lanes on his way to an eight-game total of 1,956 to bring his overall score to 3,779, a 236.19 average. Prather sits 225 pins ahead of Greg Ostrander of Freehold, New Jersey, who remained in second place with a 3,554 total.

England’s Dom Barrett moved into third place with 3,527 and is followed by Jason Sterner of Covington, Georgia (3,483), and Wichita’s AJ Chapman (3,480).

Defending champion Rhino Page of Orlando, Florida, moved into 10th place with a 3,411 total. After leading Friday’s opening round, Prather struggled to find the right feel with his equipment to start Saturday’s block, kicking off the round with a 169 game. He quickly resolved the issue, averaging more than 255 for his final seven games.

“During Game 1, I really didn’t have a great feel in the ball,” Prather said. “I was struggling and between (interchangeable) thumbs and tape. I didn’t throw a good shot until about the seventh frame, and that’s when I realized I was in the wrong ball. Even if I threw it well, I wasn’t going to strike, so I talked it over with

Mike (DeVaney) and got into the right ball. From there, I just tried to keep making the right adjustments.” Prather credits his run the last several weeks, which includes a pair of third-place finishes and a fifth-place showing at the Professional Bowlers Association Fall Swing in Owasso, Oklahoma, to the work he’s put in on his mental game and the ability to quickly bounce back after an errant shot or frame.

He’s also been able to create different reactions with his ball roll this week while combating the 37- and 40-foot oil patterns featured during the first two rounds of qualifying. He’s still unsure of his plan of attack on Sunday’s 47-foot lane condition, but Prather has time and a sizeable lead on his side.

Competitors in the field will compete on three different lane conditions during the first three rounds of qualifying. A fourth oil pattern will be introduced for Monday’s cashers’ round and be used for the remainder of the tournament.

”The angles I’ve played each day weren’t very different, but it was more about ball selection and how the ball came off my hand,” Prather said. “Today, I was able to use more rotation to get it to go through the pins, while I really had to focus on rolling it yesterday, since the pattern was so short and flat. I think tomorrow will be very interesting. I didn’t have a great look in practice. Luckily, I don’t bowl until late in the afternoon. I’ll have all day to watch, and I think that will help a lot.”

Players will return to Northrock Lanes on Sunday for the third and final round of qualifying, starting at 9 a.m. Eastern. Qualifying consists of three eight-game blocks over three days.

After Sunday’s final round, the field will be cut to the top 36 players for the cashers’ round, which will include an additional eight games to determine the 24 players for round-robin match play.

Match play will begin Monday at 6 p.m. Eastern with the first of three eight-game rounds. Match play resumes Tuesday at 11 a.m. Eastern with the final two blocks, including a position round. The five finalists will be determined by total pinfall, including bonus pins, for 56 games.

The stepladder finals will take place Oct. 31 and air live on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. Eastern, awarding the champion the $30,000 top prize and coveted green jacket.

The U.S. Open is the fourth and final major championship on the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule and is conducted jointly by the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America.

Each round of the 2018 U.S. Open leading up to the stepladder finals will be broadcast live on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame on FloBowling.

WICHITA, Kan. - Kris Prather of Plainfield, Illinois, continued his torrid run on the lanes Friday after pacing the field during the opening round of qualifying at the 2018 U.S. Open.

The 26-year-old right-hander posted an eight-game block of 1,823 (227.88 average) at Northrock Lanes to lead the 144-player field.

Greg Ostrander of Freehold, New Jersey, sits in second with 1,808, while Wichita's AJ Chapman (1,770), Brent Boho of Colgate, Wisconsin (1,766), and 2006 U.S. Open champion Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, South Carolina (1,761), round out the top five.

Defending champion Rhino Page of Orlando, Florida, sits in 23rd place with a 1,690 total.

Prather put together an impressive performance last week at the PBA Fall Swing in Owasso, Oklahoma, advancing to the championship round in each of the three events held at The Lanes at Coffee Creek.

He collected a pair of third-place finishes at the PBA Wolf Open and PBA Bear Open and concluded the week by finishing fifth at the PBA Tulsa Open.

Prather was able to parlay that success on Friday's challenging 37-foot oil pattern, which he thought would be the toughest of the four lane conditions being used this week.

Competitors in the field will compete on three different lane conditions during the first three rounds of qualifying. A fourth oil pattern will be introduced for Monday's cashers' round and be used for the remainder of the tournament.

"I thought we were going to stay right and control the pocket," Prather said. "I didn't think scores would be this high, but the little bit of urethane that went down the lane helped a lot. I thought this was going to be the most difficult pattern, so this definitely loosens up the swing even more."

Prather has advanced to the match-play portion of the U.S. Open in its last two editions, finishing in 17th place in 2016 and 14th in 2017.

He made his way back from a slow start last year in Liverpool, New York, so the quick strike Friday at Northrock Lanes has him excited to attack Saturday's 40-foot lane condition.

“It's huge," said Prather, who was in 32nd place after the opening round last year at Flamingo Bowl. "This has been the best I've bowled on the first day at the U.S. Open, so I'm really looking forward to getting back on the lanes tomorrow morning and knocking down as many pins as I can. I think I'll need to put on my striking shoes, but I'm ready to go."

Players will return to Northrock Lanes on Saturday for the second round of qualifying, starting at 9 a.m. Eastern. Qualifying consists of three-eight game blocks over three days.

After 24 games, the field will be cut to the top 36 players for the cashers' round, which will include an additional eight games to determine the 24 players for round-robin match play.

Match play will begin Monday at 6 p.m. Eastern with the first of three eight-game rounds. Match play resumes Tuesday at 11 a.m. Eastern with the final two blocks, including a position round. The five finalists will be determined by total pinfall, including bonus pins, for 56 games.

The stepladder finals will take place Oct. 31 and air live on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. Eastern, awarding the champion the $30,000 top prize and coveted green jacket.

The U.S. Open is the fourth and final major championship on the 2018 PBA Tour schedule and is conducted jointly by the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors' Association of America. Each round of the 2018 U.S. Open leading up to the stepladder finals will be broadcast live on PBA's online bowling channel Xtra Frame on FloBowling.

WICHITA, Kan. – The field at the 2018 U.S. Open now is complete with the conclusion of a pre-tournament qualifier held Wednesday at Northrock Lanes.

Total pinfall for eight games determined the 28 competitors joining the main field, bringing the total to 144 bowlers. A total of 116 players already had earned direct entry into the 2018 U.S. Open based on their on-lane performances in 2017.

Matt Ogle of Louisville, Kentucky, paced the 73-player field Wednesday, finishing with a 1,784 total, a 223 average.

Ogle was followed in the standings by United States Bowling Congress and Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli of Venezuela (1,755), Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware (1,746), Kamron Doyle of Brentwood, Tennessee (1,743), and Roger Petrin of Taylor, Michigan (1,729). Ukraine’s Daria Kovalova, who was a collegiate standout at Wichita State, earned the final spot in the main field, finishing in 28th with a 1,624 total, a 203 average.

Ogle was able to get out to a quick start at Northrock Lanes, firing games of 248, 254 and 232 to put himself in a great position to advance. He hasn’t been bowling as much leading into the U.S. Open, but some time on the lanes prior to his trip to Wichita helped bolster his confidence.

:After the strong start, I was able to relax a little bit and cruise along,” Ogle said. “I really just wanted to feel confident with my spare shooting, and I’m glad it worked out. I haven’t been bowling as much, since I’ve been running a business back home, but I bowled a tournament Sunday and had a good practice Monday, so I felt ready.”

Ogle and his fellow competitors will have the opportunity to practice on the four different oil patterns being used for the 2018 U.S. Open on Thursday during the official practice sessions.

The 34-year-old two-hander looks forward to learning as much as he can to prepare for Friday’s opening round of qualifying, which starts at 9 a.m. Eastern. He’s happy with where his physical game is at after Wednesday’s block but knows where his main focus will be in order to continue strong during the rest of the event.

All preliminary rounds of the U.S. Open will be streamed live on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame on FloBowling.

All squads will be contested on a fresh oil pattern in 2018, and players will compete on three different conditions during the first three rounds of qualifying. The fourth oil pattern will be introduced starting with Monday’s cashers’ round and be used for the remainder of the tournament.

Qualifying will consist of three eight-game blocks over three days. After 24 games, the field will be cut to the top 36 players for the cashers’ round, which will include an additional eight games to determine the 24 players for round-robin match play.

Match play will begin Monday at 6 p.m. Eastern with the first of three eight-game rounds. Match play resumes Tuesday at 11 a.m. Eastern with the final two blocks, including a position round. The five finalists will be determined by total pinfall, including bonus pins, for 56 games.

The stepladder finals will take place Oct. 31 and air live on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. Eastern, awarding the champion the $30,000 top prize and coveted green jacket.

The U.S. Open is the fourth and final major championship on the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule and is conducted jointly by the USBC and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America.

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